Top Detergents
Honey, they shrunk the laundry liquid (and the packaging, too)
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Many of the 34 top laundry detergents we just tested are "2X" or "3X." That laundry lingo does not mean they're supersized. It means they've been reduced to a half or a third of their former volume yet do the same number of loads per package, usually 20 to 30. The top
laundry detergents Ratings (available to subscribers) show the best of the bunch, the 19 scoring very good or excellent.
Why the shrinkage? Detergent makers moved to concentrated formulas for economic and environmental reasons. Procter & Gamble (the largest manufacturer) and Wal-Mart wanted to cut costs for packaging and shipping, and appeal to environmentally aware consumers. The changes required finding new affordable ingredients for the concentrated formulations.
Laundry Detergent Ratings
For Front-Loading Washers
Tide 2X Ultra Concentrated with Color Clean Bleach Alternative HE
This liquid detergent for front-loading washers ranks number one among laundry detergents. For 25 cents a load, you get an "excellent" detergent. Score: 87 / 100
How we tested. To measure detergent performance, we used 306 8x16-inch cotton flags, each with eight swatches. One swatch on each flag was left unstained; the others had blood, red wine, ring-around-the-collar stuff, dirt, chocolate, grass, and tea. Then we machine-washed the flags in hard water with each detergent in 6-pound loads.
Using a special instrument, we checked how well each detergent cleaned each stain, how well it kept washed-off soil from redepositing on white swatches, and how well it kept dyes from coloring white swatches.
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What we found. Some products performed especially well on certain stains. But most people will be looking for products that did best on a wide range of stains, and all in the
Ratings (available to subscribers) did well overall. All were OK in preventing redeposition, but all caused some dye transfer.
CR's take. First, choose a detergent that's right for your type of washer. A conventional detergent will foam too much in a front-loader, and an HE (high efficiency) detergent will be too weak in a top-loader. Then see which products in the
Ratings (available to subscribers) fit your budget.
Three good choices with lower cost are Cheer 2X Ultra Concen-trated Color Guard for High Efficiency HE, Tide 2X Ultra Concentrated Coldwater, and Gain 2X Ultra Concentrated with Bleach Alternative. Prices are based on the largest-size container available.
More information: Read our latest report on
washers and dryers, then refer to our Ratings of
front- and top-loading washers and
dryers (both available to subscribers) to find the model that's right for your family.
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